Eric Clapton has given away 70 of his beloved guitars in aid of a charity auction.
The auction of his guitars and amplifiers, which raised £1.3m today drew hundreds of the rock icon’s fans and broke all predicted sales.
Collectors, fans and musicians from all corners of the globe gathered at Bonhams New York to bid for 138 lots, made up of 75 guitars and 55 amps from Clapton’s personal collection.
Memorabilia including Clapton’s three-piece “stage suit” made by the late fashion designer Gianni Versace was also included in the sale.
Clapton’s 1948 Gibson hollow body guitar – which had an estimated value of £18,700 – brought in £51,700, making it the most expensive item in the auction.
Proceeds from all of Clapton’s guitars will go to the Crossroads Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Antigua, which Clapton, himself a recovered alcoholic and drug user, founded in 1998.
This isn’t the first time the musician has auctioned his instruments for the cause, having raised more than $5 million in 1999 and $7.5 million in 2004.
The 65-year-old is considered one of the world’s best guitar players and was crowned by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 one of the greatest musicians of all time.
